1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to toilets and more specifically it relates to a toilet seat elevating system for assisting a physically challenged individual departing a conventional toilet.
Individuals who are physically challenged, such as an elderly person, often times find it difficult to remove themselves from a conventional toilet after utilization. These individuals sometimes injure themselves attempting to remove themselves from the conventional toilets. Sometimes they fall from the toilet attempting to remove themselves. Hence, there is a need for an invention that assists individuals in leaving a toilet after utilization.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices to assist individuals from a toilet have been in use for years. Typically, an elongated handle structure is attached to a wall adjacent the toilet for the individual to grasp thereby allowing them to pull themselves up from the toilet.
Unfortunately, some physically challenged individuals do not have the physical strength required to pull themselves from the toilet. Also, some bathrooms do not have a wall adjacent the toilet for these handles to attach to.
Examples of attempts to solve the problem of elevating an individual from a toilet include U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,335 to Alvis; U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,174 to Cool; U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,703 to Jones et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,872 to Phillips; U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,709 to McGuire; U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,085 to Gibbons; U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,736 to Sadler et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,552 to Austin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,446 to Robertson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,130 to Snijders et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,671 to Kearns; U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,678 to Love et al. which; U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,576 to Epstein; U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,833 to Hunterare all illustrative of such prior art.
Alvis (U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,335) discloses a movable toilet seat assembly. Alvis teaches a platform that is elevated by a pair of hydraulic cylinders. Alvis is positionable about an existing toilet.
Cool (U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,174) discloses a seat construction for assisting an individual from a conventional toilet. Cool teaches an upstanding frame member with side sections, an interconnection means and associated power operable means between the frame member and the seat for selectively pivoting the seat upwardly and forwardly.
Jones et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,703) discloses a powered toilet seat lift for assisting a physically challenged person to use a toilet. Jones et al. teaches a toilet seat having a passageway therethrough, a baseplate positioned about the base of a toilet bowl, and a pair of hydraulic cylinders supporting the toilet seat for vertical movement between a lowered and elevated position.
Phillips (U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,872) discloses an apparatus for raising and lowering a toilet seat. Phillips teaches a frame having a U-shaped base and a pair of parallel spaced support members projecting upwardly from the base at an inclined angle for supporting a pair of telescopic arms.
McGuire (U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,709) discloses a hydraulic commode assembly for lowering a handicapped person from a standing position to a seated position. McGuire teaches a hydraulc cylinder that operates on household water pressure for ellevating a seat.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for assisting a physically challenged individual departing a conventional toilet. Conventional methods of assisting individuals from a toilet seat require a wall or similar structure adjacent the toilet along with the ability of the individual to pull themselves from the toilet. Attempted modifications are not suitable in the respect that they do not provide a simple and affordable structure that can be purchased by the average consumer.
In these respects, the toilet seat elevating system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of assisting a physically challenged individual departing a conventional toilet.